Block and Stucco Vs frame

[glomonac]

Is there any advantage of a block and stucco home compared to a frame home with siding?

[golf2140]

Had both, block are more secure and less expensive to heat / cool.

[vintageogauge]

If you were here when the tornado went through 10 years ago you would have seen the difference. Block and stucco is much stronger.

[Villager Joyce]

Siding is less expensive to purchase. It would take many months IMHO to make up the difference in price to purchase by potential electric savings. Also, you have to paint stucco. I'm a siding person. Does it show?

[larbud]

B&S matches most Villagers MO.. LOL...

[Bonny]

I'm a siding person. Both of our homes here. You do get a few inches extra inside. :)

[DangeloInspections]

This is a great question and one I get asked often.

Basically, there are pros and cons to both. I will attempt to share them here.

Wood frame/Vinyl sided home;

Typically has more insulation and R- Value in the walls.
Less thermal mass.
Interior square footage may be higher due to a 4.5 inch wall.
Easier to remodel, change walls, windows, etc.
"Gives a little" in a wind which may mean less damage.
Does not require exterior painting.

Does need exterior cleaning usually 2x per year.
Siding is easily damaged by landscapers, etc.
Siding can fade and "chalk" after time and may need replacing after 25-30 years.

A wood frame home would have a higher concern for termites, easily prevented by a good and maintained termite treatment.

Concrete Block/Stucco home;

More thermal mass, perhaps quieter. Thermal mass may contribute to interior thermal gain or loss during weather extremes.

Prone to vertical and step cracking. These cracks need to be sealed by using a stucco caulk and paint touch up. Home MAY need painting every 8 years or so. Recently better more flexible paints have been developed that may last longer.

More difficult to remodel, change walls, windows, etc.

Typically has a lower R-value insulation in the walls.

Perhaps more difficult to hang items on exterior walls due to furring strips.

In a hurricane, the main issue is the roof to wall attachment. This is what ruins a home during a storm. In a concrete block home straps are embedded in the block and wrap around the trusses. In a wood frame home clips are nailed to the top plate and trusses. BOTH work equally well.

I'm told that in The Villages a wood frame home typically costs about 10k less.

It really comes down to personal preference. As you well know, both sell well here.

Hope that helps!

Frank D.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Had both, block are more secure and less expensive to heat / cool.

Not so!
It all has to do with the type of insulation in a house and the R-factor of the insulation.

Batting is significantly better than blown-in insulation because the blown-in type settles in walls and attics over time.
The Villages uses blown-in because it is cheaper.

You can get better insulation in a wood house than you can in a block house because of the way they are constructed.

A wood house has some give to it and usually does well in high wind, but no type of construction is 100% safe.
Block built houses have no give to them whatsoever.
Did you ever see photos of Miami after Hurricane Andrew?
Most of those houses were block.

Hurricane Andrew Photos: The Storm That Smacked South Florida In Pictures (PHOTOS, VIDEO) | The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/south-florida-hurricane-andrew-20th-anniversary_n_1819183.html?slideshow=true#gallery/242230/22)

[Villager Joyce]

Thanks, Frank, for the non-biased information. Appreciate it.

[Northerner52]

I agonized over that decision before buying a block. Being from New England and knowing they build outside walls with 6" studs are here 4" was a turnoff. They do get more needed insulation in a 6" wall up north. I like the look of block rather than vinyl siding, so that was the deducing factor. My Floridian caught said, Dad, you don't buy a wood house in Florida with the termites! But they do a very does job with wood treatment and prevention here so not an issue. There is wood a block use too.

[DangeloInspections]

Some folks are passionate on this subject. I'll just interject here to keep things correct.

1) They do not use blown in insulation in the walls. I do believe that the wall insulation in the block homes is less than the wood frame homes.

2) The ceilings in all Villages homes built now is a either blown in or batt, or a combination, rated at an R-30. Personally, if I were on the younger side and planned on keeping my home long term, I would blow some additional insulation, perhaps up to an R-38, as found in many other new homes around here....Just my opinion, as insulation is pretty cheap here.

3) The building codes have gotten a lot stricter since Hurricane Andrew....so one cannot really compare those homes to the newer ones. Indeed, it WAS Hurricane Andrew that showed us all that the codes needed to be stricter. Also, we are in a different risk area, (for now) than in the Miami/Dade county area.

Respectfully, Frank D.

[Topspinmo]

I live in block CYV. I'm still young enough to do most maintenance. I sealed and painted my house cost was 3 to 4 gallons of paint. Tub of sealer and about 14 hours labor rolling it on. So IMO if you can roll paint not that expensive to paint. Now if you have contractor do it with the deluted spray paint figure 5 to 7 grand. As mentioned little harder to upgrade and hang stuff. Also reception for AM radio is near non existent unless you run antenna. I feel safer in block home coming from Oklahoma. Tornados usually not as big or often here, but when hiding in the closet at least have walls protection unless it cat 3 or bigger. In Oklahoma I've seen nothing left except concrete slabs. Even sucked assault off the streets.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Siding is less expensive to purchase. It would take many months IMHO to make up the difference in price to purchase by potential electric savings. Also, you have to paint stucco. I'm a siding person. Does it show?

If you are speaking about vinyl siding -- yes -- that is less expensive than building a concrete block & stucco house.
However, depending upon what siding is used, wood siding is far more costly than CBS.
There are some houses in Florida which are stucco over frame.

[mulligan]

Wonder what Mr. Frank would have to say about hardi-plank siding over frame ?

[graciegirl]

If you are speaking about vinyl siding -- yes -- that is less expensive than building a concrete block & stucco house.
However, depending upon what siding is used, wood siding is far more costly than CBS.
There are some houses in Florida which are stucco over frame.

In Stonecrest, but not here in The Villages.

[Shimpy]

This is the first home I've owned that was siding. First the insulation is way superior to CBS (cement block, stucco). I like having it pressure cleaned over expensive sealing and painting. I do like the looks of CBS homes over siding, looks richer. Also I felt safer in hurricanes in CBS but no longer live near to the coast and hope that will make up the difference in strength.
My peeve in this area is outside doors that open in. This is against strict Dade Co. codes since hurricane Andrew. This is a weak point and I only hope living a little in from the coast helps. Once a window or door is breached then the wind can get in and lift the roof.

[retiredguy123]

I would like to point out that many of the newer homes in The Villages have "poured in place" concrete walls with a thin "cement" finish (not stucco). This is different from concrete block walls with a stucco finish. Personally, I prefer this type construction because it is less prone to damage than either stucco or vinyl siding.

[DangeloInspections]

Yes, Stonecrest does build stucco over wood frame. I personally do not like this method, as there have been problems with this method IF not done correctly. I have inspected some of these homes. Weep screeds are very important.

Hardi Plank siding is fine, as long as it is installed per manufacturers recommendations. Actually, it is over exterior wall sheathing, house wrap, then Hardi Plank. The biggest two problems with cement siding is treating the butt ends correctly, spacing the gapping correctly, and making sure the nails are not driven too deep. I inspected a home up North years ago where the builder used a nail gun set to high to install the siding, drove the nails through the siding and the siding started falling off all over the home because it really was not attached well at all.

I do not see wood siding much in Florida, or in The Villages.

You do not find step cracking in solid poured concrete homes. I do however find vertical cracking.

You can always count on concrete to get hard, and to crack.

Frank

[mickey100]

I live in block CYV. I'm still young enough to do most maintenance. I sealed and painted my house cost was 3 to 4 gallons of paint. Tub of sealer and about 14 hours labor rolling it on. So IMO if you can roll paint not that expensive to paint. Now if you have contractor do it with the deluted spray paint figure 5 to 7 grand. As mentioned little harder to upgrade and hang stuff. Also reception for AM radio is near non existent unless you run antenna. I feel safer in block home coming from Oklahoma. Tornados usually not as big or often here, but when hiding in the closet at least have walls protection unless it cat 3 or bigger. In Oklahoma I've seen nothing left except concrete slabs. Even sucked assault off the streets.

My friend had her Gardenia block and stucco home painted for $1200. I believe it included any crack sealing.

[glomonac]

Thank you all for the info

[RickeyD]

When it comes to block verses vinyl all one has to do is take a look at each neighborhood. All majority block neighborhoods look like a million bucks, all vinyl neighborhoods don't.

[mac9]

My siding house was hit by the tornado in 2007. The stucco house 3 doors down was totally demolished. The stucco house behind me and down 2 had the roof lifted and set down 2 inches off. My siding house lost some siding and most of the not enclosed lanai. I sustained a hole in the roof because a propane tank (not mine) landed in my attic. Not sure that sided or stucco matters.

[Carla B]

On our concrete block house the stucco over both the garage and the golf cart garage was applied over frame to form the gable. Moisture behind the stucco caused the stucco to bubble and had to be replaced at our cost. I would not want a total stucco house over frame.